Mechanism for operating washing-machines



(No Model.)

H. BENDIXEN. MBUHANISM FOB. OPERATING WASHING MACHINES.

No. 553,217. Patented Jan. 14, 1896.

'W/TIVESSESI I WW 4 I i ATTORNEY.

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BENDIXEN, OF DAVENPORT, IOlVA.

MECHANISM FOR OPERATING WASHING-.MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,217, dated January 14, 1896.

Application filed November 4, 1895. Serial No. 567,904. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LHENRY BENDIXEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mechanisms for Operating \Vashing-Machines; and I ho hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement inmechanisms for operating washing-machines and it consists in a horizontal divided shaft provided with a clutch at the inner ends of its two parts, a spring to catch over the movable portion of the shaft, to prevent its endwise movement while the machine is in operation, and a pinion on the stationary part of the shaft combined with a second horizontal shaft provided with two wheels having cogs on but a portion of their edges,and a vertical shaft which has a stirring device attached to its lower end and a cog-wheel to its upper one, as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The object of my invention is to provide an operating mechanism for machines where a horizontal reciprocating rotary motion is necessary, and in which the operating-shaft is made in two parts so that the lid can be thrown back without carrying that portion of the shaft which has the fly-wheel attached to it.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine which embodies my invention complete. Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the two parts of the shafts separated. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken through the clutch.

A represents the body of the washing-machine, and B the three supports mounted on the top thereof, two of them being secured upon the top of the cover so that when the cover is raised the operating'parts connected with these two supports will be moved with the cover. J ournaled in the cover 0 is the vertical shaft D, which has the stirrer secured to its lower end, and the cog-wheel G secured to its upper end in the usual. manner.

J ournaled in two of the supports B is the horizontal shaft H, to which are secured the two gear-wheels I, which have teeth formed upon but a portion of their inner edges. The teeth upon one wheel are so placed as to be directly opposite the smooth edge of the opposite wheel, and thus as the shaft H is made to continuously revolve, first one wheel I engages with the cog-wheel G, so as to turn the stirrer in one direction, and then the other wheel I engages the cog-wheel and turns the stirrer in the opposite direction.

J ournaled upon the two left-hand supports B is the operating-shaft B, which is formed of two separateparts J L, which are united by the clutch O of any suitable construction. The part L of the shaft has the pinion N secured to one end so as to engage with the teeth upon the edge of the inner wheel I, and this portion L of the shaft has no endwise movement. To its inner end is secured a portion of the clutch O, by means of which the two parts J L of the shaft are connected and made to revolve together.

The part J of the shaft has an endwise sliding movement through its support or bearing as well as a rotary one, and has secured to its inner end a portion of the clutch so as to cause it to engage with and revolve with the shaft L. Loosely pivoted or attached in any suitable manner to the left-hand support is a spring or catch P, which is curved so as to be dropped down over the part J of the shaft, and by catching between the support B and a collar or projection on the shaft it prevents that part of the shaft J which has the fly-wheel Q secured to its outer end from moving endwise.

When the lid of the washing-machine is to be thrown back so as to give access to the interior of the body A for any cause, the spring or catch P is thrown back, as shown in Fig. 2, and then that portion of the shaft J is moved endwise so as to disconnect the two parts of the clutch, and then only those portions of the mechanism which are connected to the two right-hand supports will be moved with the cover.

From the above construction it will be seen that the operator has but to turn the operating-shaft J L continuously in one direction, when the pinion N upon its inner end will impart a continuously rotary motion to the shaft II and wheels I, and that these wheels I will impart a continuous reciprocating rotary motion to the stirrer shaft D through the wheel G upon its upper end.

Having thus described my invention, I claim The operating shaft J,L, made in two sep arate and independent parts, one of which is adapted to have an endwise movement; a clutch upon the end of each part of the shaft for causing said parts to revolve together, and to enable them to be separated; .the spring or catch which catches over the part J, of the shaft and prevents it-fro1n having an endwise movement while the machine is in HENRY BENDIXEN. Vitnesses I. 0. ANDERSON, L. N. PORTER. 

